Sick
by RitzBitz
Summary: Okay, I took the story off, but have put the first 2 chapters back on. T'Pol is sick, what's going on???
1. Alone

Author's Note: I was not pleased with the way chapter 3 turned out, so I took the story off FF.Net to work on it. I have put chapters 1 and 2 back on, and if you have any ideas on chapter 3, let me know, I am very open to suggestions. On to the story.  
  
* * *  
  
T'Pol sat at her station, upright without expression on her face. She did not allow herself to be distracted by anyone or anything not relevant to her duties. That was the way she was, she experienced none of the pleasures of her human counterparts onboard. T'Pol was to work hard, that was her life, and she accepted it  
  
Lately, though, she found herself having to meditate for longer periods of time than normal. Her emotions had been closer to the surface for the past few days. It was difficult to keep herself in check, and it was curious that this difficulty was especially intense around Captain Archer. He elicited a strange feeling from her, something she didn't understand. It confused her and made her uncomfortable. That was the reason she decided to go see Dr. Phlox in search of relief from this emotional distress.  
  
* * *  
  
Dr. Phlox examined the Sub-Commander by running a scanner over her person. He was concerned at the description of her symptoms; it was very unlike T'Pol to be having difficulty controlling her emotions. He sighed at her results.  
  
"Nothing, Sub-Commander. I can run a more complex test if you wish."  
  
She closed her eyes. "I cannot understand this.feeling. What is happening?" Phlox could tell she was frustrated, which concerned him even more. "T'Pol, I would suggest you let me scan your brain for any anomalies, I can then give you something to help you sleep. I will have the results by tomorrow."  
  
She did as he asked, and with her sedative, asked for an analgesic, for her head began to hurt. Her quarters had never seemed so far away. That night, she did not even bother to meditate; she just stripped and pulled the sheets over her shoulders to drift off into oblivion.  
  
* * *  
  
When T'Pol didn't show up for her shift the next morning, and didn't answer her intercom, Captain Archer went to her quarters himself. He chimed the door twice before overriding the lock and entering the room. What he found there slightly shocked him. T'Pol was still in bed, and Archer was surprised by the state of her bedclothes. Sheets had been kicked off and the blanket was on the ground. T'Pol herself was splayed out on the bed, her arms above her head, one falling off the bed. Her shirt had ridden up, exposing her flat stomach. Archer stared at her for a moment before he realized what he was doing.  
  
He walked over to the bed and knelt down next to it. He was apprehensive as to how T'Pol would feel if he shook her awake.  
  
"T'Pol. T'Pol, wake up." He touched her shoulder. Then louder, "T'Pol!" She startled awake, grabbing his arm and taking him to the ground as she attacked him in a sleep-clouded state.  
  
Jonathan found himself on the floor, with T'Pol straddling his stomach, pressing her forearm to his neck. She shouted something at him in Vulcan. Then, all of the sudden, she relaxed, as if realizing what she was doing, and who she was doing it to. She collapsed onto his chest, seemingly exhausted, and a shocked Archer felt sobs racking her body.  
  
"Hey, hey there. What's the matter?" He was very worried; this was not a situation he found himself in often. T'Pol behavior was shocking at the least, scary as hell at the most. Jonathan did his best to sit up with T'Pol still resting on his chest. When he finally did, she didn't let go, but started laughing, laughing like she had never laughed in her life. She hasn't, she's Vulcan, Jonathan thought to himself. He reached for the com on the wall and spoke into it. "Archer to Phlox. T'Pol's.sick or something, I'm bringing her to sickbay now."  
  
MORE SOON. 


	2. SickBay

".any way to tell."  
  
".how long will it affect her."  
  
".test results."  
  
"I think she's waking up."  
  
"Look, her eyes are open."  
  
"Sub-Commander?"  
  
T'Pol heard the foggy voices first, and while they were familiar to her, she found that she couldn't tell who they were. Then the voices' faces came into view, and T'Pol realized where she was.  
  
"T'Pol we were worried about you. Doctor Phlox had to get you another sedative to calm you down." She understood what her Captain was saying, but could not understand what he was talking about. "What happened?" she asked, sitting up in the bio-bed. 'Where am I?"  
  
"In sickbay, where you have been for the past 9 hours. Don't you remember what happened?" She shook her head in response to the doctor's question, which surprised him. He would have expected a response more.ceremonious from her.  
  
"Captain Archer tells me he went in your quarters to wake you when you were late for your shift. He also tells me you attacked him when he shook your shoulder, and that your emotional state was.unpredictable. I must say I am at a loss, T'Pol. Can you explain this?"  
  
Her head went down to the hands resting knees and she massaged her temples. "May I have something for this headache?" The Doctor moved to get a hypo spray. "I am unsure as to why I have behaved as such. You said I attacked you?" She directed her question at Archer, who nodded.  
  
"You also started sobbing, then laughing. I was left with only the option of bringing you here."  
  
She nodded again. Phlox returned with her analgesic, saying, "I have taken the liberty of running several scans on your cortex. I believe some kind of virus has caused this slip in your emotional state. I cannot do anything for it; however, I think if we let it run its course, you will be fine in a few days. My scans show it is not contagious, nor very serious."  
  
"Good news, Doctor. Will she be able to return to duty today?"  
  
"I see no reason why not. T'Pol, you will, at best, well, be a human. At least for the next few days. But, you will return to normal, that much I am sure of."  
  
T'Pol looked slightly sick. "A human?"  
  
"Well, the comparison is crude, but essentially, yes. Again, it's only temporary."  
  
"Gee, T'Pol, don't sound so excited. Doctor, with your permission, I'd like to take T'Pol back to her quarters."  
  
At his nod, T'Pol slipped off the bio-bed with her usual grace, and Archer took her elbow. As they walked, he asked her, "How do you feel?"  
  
She sighed.yes, sighed."I feel like I was hit by an." she struggled with her words. ".an elephant. From afar."  
  
Archer laughed. "You know what it feels like to get hit with an elephant from afar? I think this virus is already affecting you big time."  
  
"I believe you are correct." They arrived at her door. "It is pleasing when you laugh, Captain. You should do it more often." With that, she turned and walked into her quarters.  
  
"You, too" he murmured after the door closed. "I can't wait to hear it."  
  
ANY IDEAS????LET ME KNOW!!!! 


	3. The Gym

Chapter 3 takes place just after The Catwalk  
  
In spite of her best efforts, Sub-Commander T'Pol was having much difficulty in controlling her emotions. Earlier in the day, she had snapped at Commander Tucker after she told him to get started on re- aligning the plasma manifolds and he so eloquently suggested she 'blow it out her ass.' While her response wouldn't really be considered emotional to Humans, it most certainly was by Vulcan standards. And while she didn't tell the Captain what had happened, word had spread and he had found out. She had it on good authority that Commander Tucker had gotten in trouble.  
  
At the end of the day, she had so many emotions rolling around in her that the only way to take it out in physical activity. That was how Archer found her half an hour later in the gym.  
  
She held in her hand a long, slender pole that looked, at least to Jonathan, pretty flimsy to be a weapon. But as he watched, she gripped the staff with both hands and began to swing it in fluid motions that made him feel as if he watched a cat instead of his First Officer. The longer he watched, the faster the movements got, and Jonathan got the sense that he was observing an ancient and powerful dance. She twisted and thrust the staff out, then brought it back to her as she high-kicked the air with a force that made him feel sorry for any enemy that crossed her path. Other crew members had started to crowd around, so Jonathan let his presence known, not only to them, but to T'Pol as well. The crew members looked sheepish and hastily left the gym so that their Captain and Sub-Commander could be alone.  
  
"I'm glad I'm on your side," he told her with a smile.  
  
"You need not worry, Captain, I would never use lethal force against you or any of the crew."  
  
"Well, that's, uh, good to know."  
  
She returned to her thrusting and jabbing, and Archer was careful to stay out of her way. He carefully made his way over to a treadmill, and began his jog. After a while of watching her fight an imaginary assailant, he decided to break the silence.  
  
"You know, T'Pol, I would love it if you could teach me that."  
  
"You are not man enough for me to teach you to fight." She did not miss a beat in her exercise.  
  
Archer was appalled. Not to mention angry. "Excuse me?" he asked, with a searing voice as he cut off the treadmill with force.  
  
"I believe you heard me correctly."  
  
"T'Pol, I don't know what the hell your problem is, but-"  
  
"You have failed your first lesson. Rule number one, never fight out of anger or any other emotion." She said this with a superior tone that made him want to shove her out an airlock. Apparently T'Pol had finished her exercise, because she turned to face him with the staff held down. "You cannot win if you let your emotion cloud your abilities. It could be your downfall."  
  
Jonathan sighed. "I guess I walked right into that one."  
  
"Indeed. If you still wish it, I can teach a few techniques, but it takes years to master." She tossed the staff to him, which he caught with ease, but was surprised at the weight of it. "It is a practice staff, filled with lead. Actual fighting staffs are lighter, but still heavy.  
  
"The first thing I will teach you is how to grip the staff. Hold is very important, as you cannot do anything without it."  
  
He interrupted her, "I thought the emotion part was the first lesson," with a smirk.  
  
She simply raised an eyebrow. "Now, one thing you must always remember is to watch your opponent's chest. In doing this, you will always be able to tell which way they will move. The problem most face is how to make their own chest movements more subtle, so that-"  
  
She was cut off by the wall communicator. "Ensign Sato to Captain Archer."  
  
"Go ahead, Ensign."  
  
"We've received a hail from a ship half a light-year away. Request your presence on the bridge."  
  
Jonathan looked at T'Pol. "Be right there. Archer out." He turned to T'Pol. "You had better come with me."  
  
She nodded and they headed off to the bridge.  
  
MORE LATER! LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! 


End file.
